


Putting It Together

by Missy



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor, Jigsaw Puzzles, problem solving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-23 01:19:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11392353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: Holt requires Amy and Rosa's help in piecing together a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece before heading to a celebratory birthday dinner with Kevin.  Can they beat the clock?





	Putting It Together

“Santiago, Diaz,” announced Captain Holt mellifluously as he stepped into the break room, a large and colorful box held between his outspread hands, “I require your assistance.”

Rosa’s expression was dry-eyed and calm as he placed the package between them. “A puzzle? Someone getting a geek gift?” 

“This doesn’t concern your taste. I’ve purchased this puzzle for Kevin’s birthday,” he said. “It’s a one thousand piece Stanislaw Goldenrod puzzle that, when placed together properly, provides the viewer with a perfect picture of the Eiffel Tower.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “The Stanislaw jigsaw! They're greatest puzzlemakers in the entire world!”

Rosa remained unimpressed. “Can I be excused from this nerd thing?” she asked. 

“It’s not a nerd thing! There’s no shame in appreciating an obscure art,” Amy said. 

“Slapping together cardboard isn’t an art,” Rosa said.

“The world’s hobby stores would beg to differ,” Holt said. “My problem is simple: I gave it a test run earlier this morning, and to my horror one single piece seems to be missing.” He opened the box. “We’re going to put this puzzle together, and if it’s still missing that singular piece then I’m going to take this back to the store and have a stern talk with my puzzle concierge.”

“Right,” said Rosa flatly.

“How do we start?” wondered Amy.

“With a flat surface, and steely determination,” he said. In fact, soon he was sweeping the desk clean and upturning the box in a careful pile. “You’re both under strict orders not to inform Kevin of what I’ve purchased. If he enters the building or calls me, you’re required to observe a code. We’ll call it: code azure. You will be silent and you will not reveal to him this secret.”

“Absolutely, sir,” said Amy.

“Fine,” Rosa said. “How are we supposed to get this going?”

“So with the edges!” Amy said, grinning. “This is going to be so much fun, I was totally in the puzzle club when I was a teenager. Wow, I just admitted that out loud.”

“I’m shocked,” Rosa said flatly. She shucked off her leather jacket and started separating out pieces of the night sky from chunks of building and shrubbery.

“I too am shocked,” said Holt, without changing his expression or inflection. “I always pictured you as a real party animal, Santiago, under all of your stuffy order.”

“You think I’m stuffy?” Amy squeaked.

“Ugh,” Rosa muttered, clicking together pieces. They had almost half of a frame finished. “You’re cool, Amy, okay?” she muttered the words between clenched teeth.

“It’s just that you remind me so much of myself at your age,” he said. “I was a real wild man back in the day. I used to stay up until midnight.”

Amy was visibly moved. “Sir, may I have permission to hug you?”

“Permission granted,” Holt said.

The hug was stiff, but Amy had never looked happier. Rosa used the extra time to snap together the – and steal a large bag of chips out of Amy’s desk drawer.

 

*** 

 

Three hours later, they had a complete puzzle – except for one tiny piece, which appeared to be in the shape of a child’s balloon.

“It’s not in the box,” Amy confirmed. “Where do you think it could’ve gone, sir?”

“Hopefully not someplace tender,” he muttered, rubbing his temple. “Damn you, adorable Parisian setting! You have confounded me for the last time!”

At that, his cell phone rang. “Hello – Kevin! Yes, I’m just finishing off some last minute paper work – of course I haven’t forgotten our date. Let me put you on speaker phone for a moment.”

“Code amber!” hissed Amy, horrified.

“Raymond,” said Kevin, “have you been bringing home jigsaw puzzles again? I found a piece of what looks like a red balloon in Cheddar’s mouth a few minutes ago.”

Silence filled the room. Rosa sighed and started smashing the puzzle.

“Of course not,” Holt said calmly. “Please make sure that Cheddar doesn’t swallow it. And clean it. It’s the first clue for your…birthday scavenger hunt! Take that piece of puzzle to where I took you on our first date. All right! Farewell.”

Hanging up, he turned to Amy and Rosa. “The mission’s changed. Who has the keys to the van?” he asked.

Amy pointed at Rosa. Rosa groaned. “Fine, I’ll start it up," she said.

Amy clapped her hands gleefully and finished reboxing the puzzle. She had a feeling it would come in handy.

And besides, she couldn’t resist a Stanislaw.


End file.
